The latest booklet in the Center for Transit-Oriented Development's series of "100" and "200" manuals has been added to the website. These booklets explain the theory and best practices of transit-oriented development.

The third most common Internet activity in America (behind email and using search engines in general) is searching for a map or driving directions. For years, metropolitan transit users have been fortunate to have Google Transit as an all-purpose trip planner. But what works in the Bay Area doesn't necessary translate well in rural areas.

National Journal
What data support your assertion that "obesity and respiratory illness are dramatically reduced in more walkable, less car-dependent communities"? There are far too many "walkable, less car-dependent communities" whose members suffer from appalling health conditions and short life expectancy. Are you urging the federal government to force Americans to revert to such conditions?

The Dutch government wants to scrap automobile sales and property taxes and instead levy a road tax that varies depending on when and where the automobile is driven. The Dutch Cabinet endorsed the idea on Friday. The government will need the backing of Parliament before the law can take effect n 2012.

Adelaide Now
"The land swap will result in a green corridor from Cheltenham to Woodville as well as a sustainable development next to the new tram corridor, which will revitalise the western suburbs. But clearly, we haven't got the message out. People are not linking the land swap with the tram plan."
Read On

It's not what you expect to hear when discussing walkability, the hot smart growth goal. But the study "Healthy Neighborhoods: Walkability and Air Pollution," which explored Vancouver's built environment, concludes that the most walkable communities are the likeliest to have the worst air pollution.

"Walkability and air pollution have independently been associated with several adverse health outcomes, including physical inactivity, heart disease, mortality, and atherosclerosis, but health studies have not yet investigated interactive or joint effects," the study published in the Environmental Health Perspectives journal notes. "Our investigation builds on previous research and highlights the complexities of built environment and health relationships."

Researchers also found clear economic divisions in the results. People in suburban areas where walkability is…

Isthmus
"They want to force everybody into high-density areas, to live the way they would prefer we live. So single-family homes not so much; condos, high-density, multi-use, walkable communities, communities on train routes, that's how they'd prefer us to live, which is what this is about."
Read On

Featured Stories

The Half-Mile Circles blog is a place to share information about recent research, innovations and other issues related to TOD and livable communities. We also invite experts to talk about their work. Combined with Jeff Wood's The Other Side of the Tracks, the Half-Mile Circles blog is an opportunity for a daily dose of TOD, and allows you to weigh in with your own opinions. Usual blog rules apply; please keep the comment threads civil. To submit an expert article, contact Jeff Wood